Firefighters examine a destroyed house in Wagna, in Austria's southeastern province of Styria, June 18, 2005. Two children in the age of four and five years were killed when an explosion hit a restaurant on Friday night in the small village of Wagna, Austrian police said on Saturday. The cause of the explosion has not yet been confirmed. REUTERS/Stringer
Explosion Kills 2 Children in Austria
VIENNA, Austria Jun 19, 2005 — An explosion ripped through a pizzeria in a town in the southeastern province of Styria, killing two children and injuring seven, in a blast that may have been the result of an attack, authorities said.
The explosion Saturday touched off a fire and gutted the building in Wagna bei Leibnitz, a small town in Austria's wine-growing region, Austria Press Agency reported. Several surrounding buildings were damaged.
The two dead children were between ages 4 and 5. The injured, including an 18-month old child, were hospitalized.
Police combed the collapsed structure hours after the 2:40 a.m. blast in hopes of determining the cause, though by mid-afternoon authorities discounted the possibility that leaking gas was to blame. "It looks at the moment like it was probably an attack," Fire inspector Guenter Peterka told state television.
The Egyptian family that operated the restaurant had been involved in a dispute with others in the building over the noise from the restaurant.
